Garbage disposal plant sorting apparatus



Q P 1941- M. MATANOVlCH-MANOV ET AL 2,257,567

GARBAGE DISPOSAL PLANT SORTING-APPARATUS Filed Sept. 17, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ff, f5 2455/ [N VENTURE Ma/eo Mo/arm v/c/w/Wanav /7/- hurfi H #7125 A TTORNEY P M. MATANOVlCH-MANOV ET AL GARBAGE DISPOSAL PLANT SORTING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l l l l l l Filed Sept. 17, 1958 INVENTORi Ma/eo Mafan- 0 17/6 f7: Mam 0 v By HF/hUCHO/ZZ5 ,QTTO NEY- Patented Sept. 30, 1941 GARBAGE DISPOSAL PLANT SORTIN G APPARATUS Mateo Matanovich-Manov, Berkeley, and Arthur S. Holmes, Oakland, Calif., assignors to Oakland Scavenger 00., Oakland, Calif., a corporation of California Application September 17, 1938, Serial No. 230,360

1 Claim. (01. 209-2) The invention relates to methods and a paratus for disposing of garbage, particularly on a large scale basis such as garbage disposal systems and plants for cities, communities and the like.

In practically all garbage gathered by scavengers for disposal there is a certain content of marketable material, such as cardboard, paper, tin cans, rags, bones, glass, metal and the like. In garbage disposal systems some attempt is usually made to salvage these materials prior to disposalv of the garbage by whatever disposal process is used, such as incineration or dumping. The removal of such materials provides two main advantages in that first, such removal is a revenue procedure and secondly, the material removed is to a large extent non-combustible and the removal of such material prior to incineration saves a substantial amount of fuel and affords a substantial reduction of incinerator residue.

In accordance with the above, it has been the practice heretofore in many instances to pile the garbage in relatively small lots at the disposal plant and have workmen pick outfrom the garbage so piled whatever marketable or non-combustible materials are to be removed from the garbage. This segregating procedure is very ineificient'inasmuch as it requires much loss movement in picking over the garbage and in collecting the segregated materials in appropriate quantities for shipping. The procedure also is unsanitary, as the garbage is left in piles for some time and considerable spoilation is apt to result. This latter condition not only produces ofiensive and obnoxious odors but attracts great swarms of flies and other insects, which may carry contagious germs to the surrounding community. The accumulation of garbage also carries with it the danger of possible spontaneous combustion.

In accordance with the present invention, and as a principal object thereof, the garbage when received at the disposal plant is almost immediately set into movement and continues to move through a sorting apparatus for the removal of marketable and non-combustible materials, whereby large quantities of garbage may be efficiently and rapidly handledwithout possibility of accumulation of garbage and attendant disadvantages above noted.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the character above which may be used in a roomy, well lighted and Well ventilated building and operated under sanitary conditions .in compliance. with rigid regulations of general welfare from the bins into trucks or railway cars or the like.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawings and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claim.

Referring to said drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a garbage :lisposal plant sorting apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical cross sectional view of a part of the apparatus and is taken substantially upon the plane of line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view of one of the discharge gates used in the present apparatus.

The apparatus of the present invention and as illustrated in. the accompanying drawings consistsof an elongated platform 6 which is supported in elevated position by suitable means, such as a plurality of vertical columns I. Mounted over the upper surface of the platform is an elongated conveyor 8, here shown in the formof an endless belt and which is positioned substantially centrally of the platform and in substantially parallel relation thereto for the majority of the length of the platform. The transverse dimension of the conveyor 8 is less than that of the platform, so as to provide between the side edges 9 and II of the belt and the adjacent longitudinal side edges l2 and 13 of the platform, a pair of Walkways l4 and 16. Provided in the platform 6 and exposed to the upper surface thereof at opposite sides of the conveyor 8 are a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings l1 I8, I 9, 2|, 22, 23, 24 and 25, which are adapted for receipt of various materials removed from the conveyor. The removal of material from the conveyor into the openings is readily effected by attendants positioned along the walkways l4 and I6, provided with suitable devices for engaging and removing cans, paper, cardboard and the like. A plurality of bins 26, 21, 28, 28, 3|, 32, 33 and 34, are mounted under the platform inregistration with the openings for receiving the materials removed from the conveyor. Preferably; separate bins are used for different materials to be removed such as cardboard, paper, tin cans, rags, bones, glass and scrap metal and the like, so that each attendant may be assigned to removing particular materials from the conveyor. This arrangement alsoconveniently segregates the various. materials so that no further sorting is necessary of the materials removed from the conveyor.

Each of the bins is provided with a discharge opening 35 (see Fig. 6) at thelower end thereof which is normally closed by a gate 35. The gate is removably secured to the bottom of the bin and as here shown, the gate 36 is slidably carried by guides 31 on the bin for movement to and'from a closed position across the lower discharge end 35 of the bins. Means for so displacing the gates here include a pair of racks 38 on the underside of the gates which are engaged by pinions 39 carried by a shaft 4| rigidly supported at the underside of the bins by bearings 42. Any suitable means may be used for rotating the shaft and causing a corresponding displacement of the gate and as here shown, we mount on the shaft a sprocket 43 which is rotated by means of a chain 44 extending below the bin for manual manipulation.

In accordance with the present arrangement, the elevation of the platform 6 and the size and arrangement ofthe bins is such that the lower ends of the bins will be positioned at a substantial elevation over the ground so as to enable direct loading from the bins into trucks or railway cars. or the like. As here shown, a plurality of sets of' railway tracks 46 are mounted under the bins and extend transversely with repect to the platform so that a plurality of railway cars may be positioned under the bins for loading of. market-able materials from the bins directly to the cars.

As a further feature of the construction, we position a shaking screen 41 at the discharge end 48 of the conveyor for receipt of garbage-from the conveyor. 'This screen is appropriately oscillated as by means of a motor-4'9, crank 5| and link 52 connected t'othe screen and serves to segregate from the garbage dirt, ashes, and other fine products contained in the garbage and which for the most part are not combustible and interfere with the proper incineration of the. remainder of the garbage; The loose ashes and dust and-the like, if not removed by the screen, will for the most part blow out of the furnace with the gases of combustion and unless some provision is made: for removing these products from the flue gases,

will blow out through the stack and deposit on the adjacent property. A bin 53 is supported under the screen 41 for collecting the material removed by thescree'n. From the screen 41 the garbage is ready for disposal and may be passed directly to a furnace or the like. As'here shown, the garbage is received from the screen 41 onto a"conveyor 54 which deposits the same into a bin'or-hopper 56, from where the garbage passes by way of a conveyor 51 to the part of theplant efiect'ing the disposal of the garbage.

The garbage isusually received at the plant from trucks or the like-which collect the garbage the same from the homes in the community and the garbage is thus deposited in intermittent lots into a receiving container or hopper 58. This hopper as illustrated in Figure 1, is preferably positioned adjacent the end of the platform 6 and may be loaded either directly from the trucks or other cars delivering the garbage to the plant or the same may be loaded by suitable auxiliary conveyor or elevator or hoist means. Since the elevation of the top of the receiving hopper 58 is considerable and in a large size plant, approximately fifty to sixty feet over the ground, it is usually desirable to carry the garbage from the ground level to the receiving hopper by means of a skip-hoist or the like.

The garbage is removed from the hopper 58 through the lower discharge end 59 into a spreader box 6| and thence onto a short conveyor 62 for delivery onto the receiving end of conveyor 8. The spreader box 6| functions to level out the garbage on the conveyor 62 so that a substantiallyuniform and constant rate, of flow of garbage from the hopper and. onto the sorting, conveyor 8 is produced. The conveyor 62, similar to the conveyor 8, is preferably formed as an endless belt and is supported adjacent the opposite ends of the spreader box Bl on rollers 63 and E4. The upper side 66 of the endless belt 8 is preferably supported in a slidably concave shape so as to better retain the garbage on the belt and this shape of the belt may be maintained by the use of a plurality of inclined rollers 61 (see Figure 3) supporting the top side 66 of the belt. The lower or return side 68 of the belt may be supported on a plurality of longitudinally spaced transversely extending rollers 69. The belt may be supported and driven at its opposite longitudinal ends by rollers H and 12.

The entire apparatus is preferably used in a suitable building 13 which may completely enclose the apparatus so as to protect the workmen from inclement and other severe weather throughout the year, and to prevent the access of flies and other insects to the garbage. At the same time, the building is well ventilated and lighted for healthful working conditions of the attendants.

It will now be understood that the garbage, although received in intermittent lots at the disposal. plant, is almost immediately after receipt set in motion and continues to move through the sorting apparatus Without possibility of accumu lation of the garbage at any point in the sorting apparatus. In this manner, the garbage is rapid-' ly and efficiently handled during the removal of marketable and non-combustible materials, and further the marketable materials when deposited in the bins are made immediately available for shipment without further segregation and with minimum handling. I

We claim:

In a garbage disposal plantadapted to receive garbage containing non-combustible and marketable materials,- a sorting apparatus for/re moving said materials to facilitate disposal of the remainderof the garbage by incineration and comprising, an elongated platform, a conveyor extending longitudinally of said platform and having a width less tha'nthat of said platformto define between the side edge of said conveyor anda longitudinal side edge 'of said platform a walkway, said platform being provided with a plurality of openings in 'said'walkway adjacent said conveyor to receive said materials deposited therein from said conveyor, a garbage receiving bin adjacent one end of said platform, a second conveyor for conveying garbage from said storage bin to said first conveyor, a plurality of storage bins mounted under said platform in registration with said openings, a shaker screen mounted at the delivery end of said conveyor and adapted to receive garbage therefrom, a bin mounted under and in registration with said shaker screen,

another bin mounted adjacent said shaker screen for receipt of garbage rejected by said screen, and a third conveyor for conveying the garbage from said last named bin to a disposal incinerator or 5 the like. 

